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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28078413">Reluctant Heroes (Eren x Levi)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/C0smicAstra/pseuds/C0smicAstra'>C0smicAstra</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:28:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,795</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28078413</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/C0smicAstra/pseuds/C0smicAstra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Finding troubles in your sleep?", the Captain asked bluntly. Immediately, Eren shook his head. "It was nothing, I'm fine.", he denied.<br/>-<br/>Fanfiction based off episode 19 of season 1 after Levi intervenes when a simple wish to pick up a spoon off the ground goes wrong.<br/>One-shot rated M for mature content, sexual content and angst.<br/>Enjoy!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi/Eren Yeager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Reluctant Heroes (Eren x Levi)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Marked underage just in case!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The weight of the world weighing down on his shoulders mixed with the exhaustion of his daily multiple attempts to transform into a Titan has Eren feeling down in the dumps as he sits at a wooden table with the members of Levi’s squad. He could feel everyone counting on him and could see the disappointment in each of their faces when it turned out that he couldn’t transform at will. Why? He just needed to prove to them he was strong and that they had a reason to keep him alive, that he would fight on humanity’s side. He stared down at his bandaged hands, proof of his multiple attempts, remembering each bite he took and how strongly he just wished to transform already… only to be disappointed when nothing happened. Even the wounds from the bites wouldn’t heal. Total failure.</p><p>The worst of it all was seeing the face of the Captain as he bluntly stated that if Eren couldn’t turn into a Titan then the big plan for sealing Wall Maria would go up in smoke, as if he didn’t know that already.<br/>
Figure it out. That’s an order.<br/>
He gritted his teeth as the voice of Captain Levi echoed through his head once more.<br/>
In an attempt to calm his nerves, he reached out for the spoon next to his cup of tea. Only the moment he picked it up, pain flared up in his hand and it made him drop the spoon.</p><p>“You ok?”, he heard Eld ask him. With a voice he hoped was confident and reassuring, he immediately replied: “Yes…”<br/>
Fearing to cause a scene any further, he bent down and reached out with his arm in hopes to pick up the spoon. He struggled a little, cursing his weakness, but eventually he felt his fingers make contact with the metallic surface of the utensil and was about to sigh in relief when he saw sparks fly around his hands.<br/>
He didn’t have time to blink, much less time to speak, as thunder crashed and blew the closest soldiers away.</p><p>When, finally, Eren blinked, he discovered that he had summoned a partial Titan form and now his arm was stuck inside its flesh. “Why now?!”, he asked himself in panic. He tried to yank the arm out desperately but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t budge.<br/>
“Calm down.”<br/>
The familiar authoritarian voice of Levi snapped him out of his attempts to get his arm out, his head jerking up, his big green eyes wide with fear as he looked toward the small form of the man.<br/>
“Levi-Heichou! I don’t know what…!”, he started but cut himself short as a gasp of surprise escaped his throat when he realized the position he and Levi were in.</p><p>The Captain was standing with his back to the partial Titan form, one arm up as a sign of warning , a signal to stand down.<br/>
“I said calm down… all of you.”, Levi repeated sternly.<br/>
In front of him, standing at the ready with their blades out, stood the four members of Levi’s squad. Each and everyone of them were ready to act, ready to take him down…</p><p>--</p><p>The sound of hoofbeats filled his ears when Eren came to. He looked around him in confusion, unsure of where he was and what happened because he couldn’t remember how he got here. All around him was green; an empty grass field with barely any tree in sight.<br/>
“Levi-Heichou! A 10 meters Titan Northeast!”, Petra’s voice called loudly.<br/>
“Levi-Heichou! Horde of Titans coming on our left!”, Eld yelled and Eren could detect the fear in his voice. Looking in the two directions his squadmates called, he saw that they were telling the truth. Soon enough, all of these Titans would be on them and they would be surrounded.<br/>
“There, an abnormal!”, Oluo called and he could almost see Levi’s nerves flaring up with each of these new appearances.<br/>
“This can’t be a coincidence.”, he pointed out. “It’s as if someone knew where we would be this exact moment.”<br/>
Just as the Captain was done talking, a zap of thunder crashed nearby, too close, making their horses panic and a strong gust of wind sending the squad and their mounts flying.<br/>
Eren’s whole body ached after the fall and he bet he could say the same for the rest of the squad. He doubted the fall would have killed them or injured them badly enough to kill them, unless one of the horses fell on them but as he scanned around the area once the dust had settled down, he was glad to find that all of them seemed fine and were slowly recovering.</p><p>They all knew about Eren’s transformation into a Titan and how it would happen so he was sure they all came to the same conclusion; someone just shifted into a Titan. A simple look in the direction where he heard and saw the big flash of light was enough to confirm the identity of their opponent; the Colossal Titan. The brunette felt his eyes go as wide as a full moon, images of his past flashing through his mind; him, Mikasa and Armin horrified at the sight of a Titan’s head poking out of the wall before it made a giant hole in the wall with a single kick, Shinganshina turning into chaos and panic as houses and even people were crushed by the debris of the wall, more chaos and panic as Titans started entering through the hole made in the wall. Screams, screams and more screams…<br/>
Mom.<br/>
It was his fault, everything that happened that day where Humanity remembered the threat of the Titans. It was his fault. He swore that day… swore that he would eradicate them all.</p><p>Before he knew it, Eren was bringing his hand to his mouth and the last thing he heard was someone from Levi's squad, maybe even the Captain himself (?), yelling at Eren not to do it. But their beg fell on deaf ears as he bit through flesh with determination and a clear goal in his mind.<br/>
I’m going to kill them all.</p><p>Everything else was a blur… When Eren came to, the first thing he noticed was the absence of any titan around. Did he succeed? Did he kill them all? But then, his sight grew clearer and clearer and amidst the bloodbath before his eyes, he could distinguish the mangled bodies of Petra, Eld, Oluo and Gunther.<br/>
No. No. No! NO!<br/>
“Look what you’ve… done.”</p><p>The urge to scream faded completely as he heard that voice. His voice. He didn’t want to look down from the nape of his steaming Titan form’s dying body. He didn’t want to see. But he did anyway. He looked down and saw him. Captain Levi crawled just a little closer before giving up and looking up at him with hatred in his eyes. His two legs were missing, he’d managed to crawl all this way to him with just one arm and he could see the blood trail that a fatal wound on his left side left behind him.<br/>
“I should never have trusted you… And you were supposed to be the last hope of Humanity. What a pain…”<br/>
Eren saw Levi’s head hit the ground and there was no movement anymore. He knew he just saw him die right before his eyes.<br/>
It was his fault. He was wrong. The Colossal Titan was not to blame for all these deaths. He was. His bottom lip trembled before he let out a loud long wail that echoed through the empty field.</p><p>And there was no one to hear his complaint. </p><p>--</p><p>The long wail followed him to the real world where Eren woke up with sweat covering his entire body and sobs still shaking him to his core. He knew he cried, could feel the tears sliding down his face. He was about to brush them away when he saw from the corner of his eyes that he wasn’t alone. He hurriedly pressed his face against his sleeves and rubbed it against the fabric just a few times before his head shot back up. He found no one other than Levi, sitting on a chair and looking at him with an expression as passive as ever. He was holding an open book in his hand and, as if he just noticed Eren was awake, he closed it before setting it down on the chair he was sitting on as he stood up. From where he stood, he looked down at Eren in what the latter wished could call concern but he wasn’t able to detect anything at all.</p><p>“Finding troubles in your sleep?”, the Captain asked bluntly.<br/>
Immediately, Eren shook his head. “It was nothing, I’m fine.”, he denied. There was a long uncomfortable silence as Levi stared at Eren and the latter struggled to do the same, just waiting for something to happen, concern growing as the silence continued… until it finally ended.<br/>
“If you say so, then-” And just like that, Levi was spinning on his heels, picking up the book on the chair and was ready to leave without giving one single glance at Eren. </p><p>The brunette didn’t understand why but he felt this growing pain inside his chest the more Levi put distance between the two of them, the more he got closer to leaving him alone with no one else but himself for company. Misery loved his company.<br/>
“I had a nightmare.”, he suddenly said out loud and quite loudly, as if Levi would just ignore him if he’d said it any quieter. Anywho, the Captain did halt and freeze in his steps so it ended up working in Eren’s favor in the end. He couldn’t take his eyes off the man who was called “the strongest warrior” as he simply turned back and returned to the chair, sitting down once more, crossing his arms on his chest with the book hanging by his side. As he would usually do, he also crossed one leg over the other and stared right at Eren, making the latter speechless from the sheer intensity of that stare.</p><p>“Yes, I could tell. And?”<br/>
At a loss for words, Eren fidgeted with his fingers nervously, feeling his gaze dropping from his Captain. “A-And what..?”, he heard himself mutter faintly.<br/>
“And what happened?”<br/>
As blunt as Levi was, Eren was used to it and it didn’t shake him too much even in this fragile state. The brunette took a deep breath before he started telling Levi about his nightmare, not going too much into the details but enough so the Captain could grasp clearly what it was about.<br/>
There was, once again, a long uncomfortable silence when Eren was done talking and for a second there, the latter wondered if the man thought he was being ridiculous or a crybaby about it. He was going to know soon enough.<br/>
“It’s just a nightmare, Eren, get over it.”</p><p>Eren heard Levi sigh then heard shuffling which indicated he was about to leave again. His eyes were wide from shock. Get over it?<br/>
Suddenly up on his two legs, the blanket shoved aside, Eren glared at Levi who was nonchalantly standing at the door of his room, head turned towards him with a raised brow.<br/>
“Get over it?! Oh, thank you for the advice! It just sounds so simple, huh?!” His hands balled into fists, he only seemed to clench his fists even tighter as he jerked his head away from Levi, his expression darkening.<br/>
“Calm down, Eren.”<br/>
Eren let out a ‘tch’ as he gritted his teeth together so tight he thought they would break.<br/>
“I should have just kept quiet, let you leave. I don’t even know why I thought telling you about those nightmares would make anything better. As if you know what it was to have your failures haunt you every second of the day and you find out you’re not even safe when you’re sleeping--!”</p><p>Whack.<br/>
Eren should have seen it coming but the sidekick the Captain gave him after his outburst still came as a surprise if only for the sheer force behind the blow that easily sent him crashing against the cold hard floor. Standing above him was Levi, looking taller than the brunette remembered and especially tall now that he looked up at him, his head spinning a little from the kick.<br/>
As the man grabbed the white ascot on his collar, pulled it out and used it to wipe his boot as if it got dirty when he kicked Eren in the face, Eren held his face in pain, confusion in his deep green eyes. Instead of an explanation, Levi gave him what sounded like a warning or something.<br/>
“You think you’re so smart that you can assume things about people, huh?” Eren was given a kick in the guts which made him curl on himself as he gasped and spat on the ground.<br/>
“Tch. Pitiful.” The brunette heard the Captain turn on his heels and start to walk away. “Their faces haunt me every night.”</p><p>What? That took Eren aback. So much so, that he didn’t take it seriously, he thought he was being messed with.<br/>
“Is that why you’re always so cranky and always look like you have a stick up your ass?”, he spat, thinking that he would get told off pretty harshly, the usual, or if worse came to worst, another beat up.<br/>
“I’m not joking.” The sound of footsteps again, he was going to leave, Eren could tell. “Anyway, my point is-- it wasn’t real. It was just a nightmare. Get over it and clean this filth on the floor would you? While you’re at it, you might as well clean yourself, too, you stink. Hange still expects you for the experiments in an hour.” And slam, the door closed.</p><p>--</p><p> Fresh out of the experiments, Eren wasted no time in hurrying back to his room to get changed into… cleaner clothes. Once again, the experiments ended up as a failure and this time, he was able to tell Hange that he didn’t have the heart to keep trying only to fail. The chat he had with Levi and the beating he took earlier preoccupied his mind quite a bit and he didn’t think he would be able to let it go easily. He wondered what the Captain had meant when he mentioned that their faces haunted him every night… And if there was one person who knew, it must be Hange. He wouldn’t call the relationship between Levi and Hange a friendship, maybe it was, but he knew they’d known each other for a while so he was placing his bet on her to know about what bothered him so.</p><p>Before Hange could give him a speech about being the last hope of humanity and that they had to proceed with the experiments if they wanted to have them be a success one day, Eren had cut her off and asked her bluntly if Levi lost people in the past apart from the usual soldiers, people that could have potentially be close to the Captain. Hange immediately started acting strange and tried to evade the subject but Eren insisted; he was eventually able to make her talk by mentioning that he thought it would help him focus for the experiments, suggesting that this question had been distracting him for a bit. It wasn’t entirely a lie since the brunette did wonder what kind of backstory Levi had; he would never talk about himself, just order him around and be kind of a freak when it came to cleaning.</p><p>Nothing could have prepared him for what Hange revealed about the Captain he’d admired since he saw him when he was younger with Mikasa, before the fall of Shinganshina. There was no way, absolutely no way, he could have known what Levi had been through and earlier? Yeah, he deserved that kick in the face and certainly deserved that kick in the guts.<br/>
“As if you know what it was to have your failures haunt you every second of the day and you find out you’re not even safe when you’re sleeping--!”<br/>
He was a dumbass and an asshole. While Levi might sometimes act like he is the latter, as far as Eren knew, he was the reason why the brunette was even alive today. </p><p>That was exactly why Eren was currently heading to the Captain’s chambers, intent on apologizing for how he acted earlier but especially what he said. When he arrived at Levi’s door, he lifted his arm to knock and suddenly hesitated. Why? Why was he hesitating now? He’d come all this way, made sure to do as he was asked earlier, he was clean, didn’t reek of sweat from the experiments since there had been no experiment that day, not really. Hange had the habit to ramble quite a lot so he’d been given all the details about… well, Levi. Taking a deep breath, Eren knocked before he would change his mind. He waited a bit, heard no noise behind the door for a long time before suddenly…<br/>
“Come in.”</p><p>Furrowing his brows and feeling his legs go weak for a moment because he was possibly expecting the Captain to open the door for him, but really what was he expecting, he swallowed before slowly pushing the door open and sliding inside to find Levi at his desk, an arm resting on the top of the chair he was sitting on, turned on his side and his legs sprawled on both sides of the chair. Eren’s gaze lingered there longer than he would admit and, of course, Levi had to notice because he felt the stare turn into a glare which made him jolt, a shiver running down his spine as if the entire room was freezing cold.<br/>
“Oi, what’re you looking at?”, he snapped as he pushed himself up and off the chair, keeping one hand on it as he kept on staring at Eren.<br/>
Before Eren could even have a chance to speak, Levi was moving on.<br/>
“What do you want?”<br/>
It was his sharp voice, one Eren didn’t like hearing when he was the one on the receiving end of it. He knew it was probably because of their earlier conversation and how it went down. If he knew better, he’d apologize for bothering the man and would be on his way but him? He was Eren Yeager and he was a stubborn one. </p><p>“I…” He noticed Levi raising a brow at his hesitation so he started again, more confidently: “I came to apologize for my earlier behavior. It was disrespectful and I deserved the kicks, I would even go as far as to say I think you went easy on me, heichou.”<br/>
The Captain didn’t move from his position, nor did Eren. They both were standing their grounds, analyzing the other until one spoke, and it wasn’t the brunette.</p><p>“Oh? Why the sudden change of heart? If I remember correctly, you said that I was always cranky and had a stick up my ass.”</p><p>Eren visibly paled when he was reminded of his harsh words. Honestly, he only said that because he was angry and maybe also because he wanted to get beaten up… That was not the point, however, and now that Levi was asking him why he was apologizing, it fell into Eren’s hands to explain.<br/>
“Hange told me everything, heichou. I… really was out of line back there and should have known better than to assume things about you. I went too far and for that I feel extremely guilty. I also want to say that I’m sorry for all the things you had to endure.”</p><p>Levi’s eyebrow twitched the moment Eren started talking and the brunette saw an expression on him he’d never seen before. This was new. What… was the Captain feeling right now? His expression had visibly darkened and he turned away from Eren, letting him face his back.<br/>
“Is that all? If it is then you can go. I’ll see you at another time.”</p><p>Eren didn’t want to leave Levi alone after this. He turned away from him, he wasn’t able to face him right now. He’d never seen him act like this before; he would always face everything head on and would never look back. And now he was turning his back on Eren like this and avoiding talking about everything Eren learned? Not the Captain he knew.</p><p>“Heichou I’m afraid that is not all. I want to know why you keep protecting me like that. Why you even seem to trust me. Why did you stand up for me even against your own squad members when they pulled out their blades, ready to use them against me.”</p><p>Eren saw Levi’s shoulders tense up. “Leave it Eren, it’s my duty to protect your life as long as the garrison sees you as Humanity’s last hope--”</p><p>But Eren was having none of it.</p><p>“Bullshit! You didn’t have to be there for me when I woke up, didn’t have to ask about my nightmare, didn’t have to stay around to hear about it, could have knocked me out for even talking shit and spitting on your past! But you didn’t! Why!? Why won’t you tell me!?”</p><p>Crack.<br/>
The sound of wood cracking. Eren could only assume that was from his superior gripping the chair too hard it was about to break. That should be a warning for him and a clear instruction to leave Levi alone.<br/>
But he was stubborn and would stay until he had answers, even if that meant forcing the Captain’s hand into beating the shit out of him.</p><p>“Stop, you annoying brat or I swear I’ll crush you.”</p><p>While anyone else might feel threatened or feel like they’re about to die by hearing the tone used here on its own, Eren Jaeger was a suicidal maniac.<br/>
“Then why don’t you do it, huh?! Get it over with, come on! Or are you scared? You don’t have the guts?!”</p><p>That seemed to do the trick. Levi spun around faster than Eren could have ever imagined, stomped his way towards the brunette, grabbed him by the collar and pushed him harshly against the wall and held him there. If he kept pushing that hard, the wall might crack behind him.<br/>
“You’re a real pain in the ass you know that…?”, Levi growled in a low menacing voice.</p><p>And Eren? Well, he had the audacity to grin even in the situation he was in right now, he was maybe wrong and if that was the case he’d be in for it but if he was right then…<br/>
“If I’m really a pain in the ass then why do you keep doing more than what you’re ordered to for me, heichou?”</p><p>Levi Ackerman’s sharp glare indicated everything but what came next. </p><p>He yanked Eren down by using his collar and suddenly their lips were crashing together. It wasn’t a gentle, soft kiss like Eren had expected his first kiss to be and he certainly didn’t expect it to be with the best warrior of humanity. It was extremely rough, just like Levi was, but it almost felt needy as well. Either way, he was too stunned and inexperienced to do anything but watch as the man known as his superior forcefully shoved his tongue inside his mouth, making him let out a surprised sound, and suddenly it was over.</p><p>Levi pulled away, a conflicted expression on his face, grabbed Eren’s shoulders so harshly it made the latter wince before he was shoved aside, in the direction of the door.<br/>
“Go.” Eren didn’t move an inch. “Leave. That’s an order.” Nothing.<br/>
Gritting his teeth with furrowed brows, the Captain went to grab Eren’s hair and yanked down, bringing him on his knees then got in his face, glaring directly into his eyes.<br/>
“You finally shut the fuck up, but did you lose your hearing too? Leave. Now.”</p><p>Eren gives him a grin as a response this time, which seems to take the Captain by surprise.<br/>
“Or what?” The brunette could see the corner of Levi’s mouth twitching, as if he was enjoying this, as if he liked it and was fighting to show the contrary. He swore to himself he was going to win.</p><p>“If you don’t, I’ll make you regret staying and disobeying direct orders from your superior.”<br/>
Oh.<br/>
His tone wasn’t as strict or threatening as it had been before and he could tell Levi was cursing himself because he himself knew it and the look Eren was giving him right now was telling him he noticed it too.<br/>
“-Don’t test your limits like that, Eren.<br/>
-Or you’re going to have to kiss me again?<br/>
-Shut your filthy mouth.<br/>
-My mouth is filthy now? But it doesn’t make sense… You just kissed it.<br/>
-You little shit…”<br/>
Did he just succeed in rendering Levi, the Captain, speechless? He suddenly felt so light and like he could accomplish anything.</p><p>“I’m not leaving, heichou. Not until I have the answers to my questions. So you have two options; answer my questions or… make me leave. So, what’s it going to be?”</p><p>Levi kept his hold on Eren’s hair but suddenly kicked the door closed, fleeing the brunette’s gaze only for a second before he glared right back at him.<br/>
“You were warned.”</p><p>Eren didn’t even have time to brace himself for what was about to come next, barely had time to inhale that Levi was kicking his chest so he fell on his back. No time to react for the next part either, a boot lifted his chin up and he had to look up at his Captain, glaring down at him. He pulled his leg back then swung it at Eren’s face, the side of his face he hadn’t kicked earlier. Maybe Eren was wrong after all? He was in for it right now and dang that hurts--</p><p>If his vision didn’t get blurry just now because of the last kick, he’d swear he was seeing Levi getting on his knees and… oh. He wasn’t seeing things.<br/>
“H-Heichou what are you doing..?!”<br/>
Eren didn’t know why he was even expecting an answer. He pushed so far, gave Levi an ultimatum and he made his choice. This was his punishment. He felt his boots coming off and, as his vision cleared and the pain started to subside although his jaw felt sore, he saw Levi slide his fingers inside his pants then grab their edges before forcefully pulling them down until they were off.</p><p>Eren visibly flushed at the contact of Levi’s fingers against his skin but most of all, how exposed he was at the moment. He could see the unmistakable bulge in the Captain’s pants and could more-or-so guess what would happen next. For some reason, he didn’t feel like it was wrong, no, it actually felt… right? It was totally weird but that’s how he was feeling. He knew he’d admired Captain Levi as long as he could remember but he’d only recently started to get to know him. Since when did this admiration become something more..?<br/>
And since when did Levi become shirtless? Wait-- he was shirtless too. His back felt cold against the cold floor but he felt all warm inside. The Captain pressed himself against him and he felt like he wouldn’t feel the cold coming from the floor soon.<br/>
Their mouths came colliding again and this time, Eren decided to try and give back, too. He was realizing how much Levi gave him and what did he give him? Nothing. It wasn’t fair. Life wasn’t fair.<br/>
But if he could get him back for all those times he wasn’t aware just how much Levi did for him, then he would. Because he wanted to make it fair. He wanted to rid this world of Titans just as much as he… wanted Levi right now. </p><p>Shivering against Levi’s touch when the latter slid a hand inside his underwear, it suddenly made everything stop.<br/>
“This must be-- filthy for you. This is too much, this isn’t the kind of punishment I should give you. This is wrong.”<br/>
Just as the Captain was about to pull away, Eren grabbed his arm and pulled him back so their chest would touch again, feeling just how hard both their hearts were pounding. </p><p>“It’s not. This is my punishment. I don’t know you as the merciful type, heichou.”</p><p>Eren didn’t know if he hallucinated things or not, but he swore that when Levi realized that this was Eren’s way of consenting to what was going on between the two of them, he saw his eyes gleam. </p><p>Hope.</p><p>“--Levi. Only for tonight and… only when we’re alone.”</p><p>The brunette felt his chest fill up with so much warmth, more than before, and almost more than he could handle.<br/>
“O-Okay, hei-” A squint. “L-Levi.”<br/>
A small grin bloomed on the corner of the Captain’s mouth.<br/>
“... Good boy.”</p><p>Eren’s cheeks flushed even more and felt his entire body flare up, almost as if it was on fire, when Levi grabbed the edge of his underwear and created a path for his hands to slide in, making his protegee react strongly to the touch of his superior against his skin. The latter was far from being done; as Eren arched his back and leaned in to his touch, Levi grabbed his hips harshly and pulled the younger boy close, lifting him up from the cold hard floor without any difficulty at all and their lips crashed against each other again, each kiss rougher than the last one. It was as if, now that he had Eren’s consent, nothing restrained this beast inside of Levi from taking over.</p><p>One of the Captain’s hands slid down a bit from his hips and caressed the skin with a surprisingly gentle touch until he reached Eren’s ass. There, he grabbed a hold of the sweet soft flesh, digging his fingernails in as he prompted the brunette up until he was in his lap, making the latter moan in delight.<br/>
Ah, I wonder how long I’ve wanted to hear this sound… , Levi wondered to himself.<br/>
Chest pressed against one another, the dark-haired man shoved his tongue inside the other’s mouth, finding his tongue and intertwining it with his own until they found a rhythm of some sort. It became harder and harder for him to control himself and he felt tight under his pants right there. Groaning in annoyance and lust, he suddenly grabbed Eren’s face with the hand that wasn’t grabbing his ass, his hand positioned almost entirely under his chin. His grip was strong and rough but that’s what you would expect from the Captain. The latter had his eyes barely open and, as Eren’s eyes also opened up from the sudden action coming from his superior, there was confusion in his forest green orbs but as much as there was confusion, there was also lust. </p><p>Levi didn’t break the kiss just yet. Their tongues weren’t dancing together anymore but it was still a very rough and wet kiss, their eyes locked on one another. Breathing harshly against Eren’s face, the Captain knew he had to break the contact for air soon so he hung onto the brunette’s bottom lip, biting softly as his teeth slid and eventually lost their grip. They were both breathing heavily, the air hot around them as they just stared at each other. Eren’s entire body seemed flush but his face was the worst, he was a blushing mess and the stubborn, annoying brat that confronted him earlier seemed to be a thing of the past because of how shy and submissive he looked at the moment. It brought a grin of satisfaction to his face, which was far from falling unnoticed under the analyzing eyes of his subordinate. </p><p>“What is it, Levi-heichou...?”</p><p>Letting out a ‘pfft’ of amusement, the Captain hid his face in Eren’s neck where he breathed hot and slow against his skin which took the brunette by surprise, flinching and shivering in what the dark-haired man recognized to be pleasure at discovering all these new sensations. He suddenly felt a weak, shaky knuckle on his chest as Eren tried to push him away. This time he doubted it was because what he was doing was wrong.</p><p>“Hm…?”, he muttered as he simply turned his head to look up at the youngest, his head resting in the crook of his neck and his hair sprawling on his shoulder.</p><p>“W-Why are you amused…?”, Eren’s embarrassed voice asked. Levi furrowed his brows in response.<br/>
“Are you saying I can’t have fun?”, his superior asked with what the brunette knew was his “captain voice”. Worried he killed the mood and they wouldn’t continue until he saved this little mishaps of his, Eren shook his head lightly.</p><p>“Not at all..! It’s just-- a little unusual is all… I’ve never seen you smile, hei-- Levi, so I thought maybe I--” Fumbling with his fingers, the brunette struggled to find the good words, thinking it wasn’t going to be good enough and that the Captain would simply push him away now and everything would return to normal after he would be forced to swear he would keep quiet about what almost happened. That thought made his heart drop and his stomach do a flip. He wanted this. He wanted Levi. More than anything right now. Saving Humanity didn’t matter to him at the moment, he wasn’t preoccupied by his role to play in the next expeditions. His shoulders were light for the first time since the fall of Shinganshina. He had to salvage this somehow or nothing would change. “Please don’t stop, Levi-heichou…!”, he suddenly cried out with desperation in his voice as he begged his superior with his eyes who was by then probably wondering what suddenly came over his subordinate.<br/>
“D-Don’t hold back… I want this. I want… you.”</p><p>Blue eyes widened at his words, Levi hid his face in Eren’s neck once again, conflicted with his own feelings and how everyone he would get close to would die.<br/>
This was hard for him to decide, but it also seemed too late now. That annoying brat… He really seemed to mean those words.</p><p>“Oi… Don’t go saying things like that if you don’t mean them, got it?”</p><p>A sound of confusion escaped the brunette’s mouth, not seeming to fully understand why the Captain was saying that. “O-Of course not, Levi-heichou, I wouldn’t… do something like that… Especially to you.” Eren felt his superior’s chest heave up, figuring he was taking a deep breath, then back down after a bit. </p><p>“Good. Because if I find out you used those words only to use me… I’ll kill you dead. Humanity’s last hope or not, it won’t matter to me, got it?”</p><p>A gulp and a slow nod.</p><p>Only after getting that confirmation that he understood did Levi get things going again. The sexual tension between them was still high despite that little pause, it picked up right where they left with Levi nibbling Eren’s throat and making quick work of taking off his underwear, leaving the latter completely naked. Before he knew it, he started feeling tight in his pants again and it became almost unbearable when he suckled on the brunette’s skin, peeking up to find that flustered innocent look on his subordinate’s face. His heart fluttering in his chest, one hand found Eren’s hair, tugging the strands harshly as the urge to kiss his lips overwhelmed him. He proceeded to act upon that urge. The kiss felt more passionate than before, something had changed with that brief conversation they just had, and it also felt more needy. </p><p>Levi pushed himself up as the kiss escalated with his tongue shoved inside the other’s mouth and without any warning he grabbed Eren’s erection with his free hand, making the latter let out a muffled gasp against his superior’s mouth. He didn’t give the brunette time to adjust to this new feeling, he wasn’t known for beating around the bush, it was all or nothing with him. His strokes were fast and harsh but it seemed his pace worked with Eren, almost perfectly he’d say judging by how his entire body reacted; how his breathing became more erratic, how he shivered ever so slightly from pleasure, and the expression on his face… absolutely priceless. He had no words to explain it. He could almost say it was the best thing he ever saw in his life. </p><p>It was a cruel world after all.</p><p>“Well would you look at that, I knew you had it in you to be obedient and submissive~”, Levi teased when he broke the kiss for a moment to come out for air.</p><p>The dark-haired man could see how Eren was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath because he knew he wouldn’t be given much time to recover from everything that just happened.<br/>
He still tried to argue when his superior teased him, his brows furrowing and mouth opening to reply but he wasn’t fast enough. Levi, on the other hand, was the strongest warrior alive and was going to gladly demonstrate to his subordinate why that was on a whole new level.<br/>
His strokes became even faster as their mouths crashed together for… how many times did that make now? Hell, he stopped counting if he ever did count. That did the trick in shutting him up before he could say anything and that was the point. </p><p>Judging from the expression on Eren’s face, the Captain knew he wouldn’t last much longer, the pace and his technique would send him over the edge before he would have the time to say devote your heart. And, sure enough, there it was, a few more strokes and the brunette’s body shivered hard one last time before he came all over Levi’s hand. Filthy. </p><p>Eren knew.</p><p>“I-I… I’m sorry heichou..! I-I didn’t have time to remove myself fast enough..!”, he started in panic, desperately trying to think about a way to either clean up this mess, but seeing nothing he could use, or have Levi forgive him for what was all over his hand that was stroking him just seconds earlier. Suddenly, a plan bloomed in his mind. His cheeks lit up in a red that was almost as red as the flares they would shoot when spotting a Titan outside the walls. He took a deep breath before he got closer to his Captain again, slowly reaching at his pants with a shaky hand, but a determined expression across his face.</p><p>His hand was slapped away before he could reach the edge of the black-haired man’s pants however.<br/>
“Oi! What do you think you’re doing, huh? If you want to make up for getting my hand filthy, you go and start the shower for me.”, Levi snapped as he pushed himself up from the floor, soon standing up in all his glory, a very obvious bulge in his pants as Eren looked up at him, dumbfounded. “Do I have to repeat myself? You know I don’t like to do that.”</p><p>Eren then quickly acted, struggling to get up as his legs felt so weak, as if he was completely drained. He thought he got it until he stumbled and was certain he’d fall face first on the hard floor when something-- or rather someone-- caught him before he could fall further. Looking up, he found Levi looking down at him in annoyance, having acted quickly and thus caught him with one quick motion of his arm. In fact, the Captain’s arm had slid swiftly under him and was now preventing him from falling by holding him up on his torso. Slowly, he helped him stand back on his own and made sure he wouldn’t stumble again, his touch lingering for a bit longer until he grabbed his handkerchief and wiped his hands with it.<br/>
“Do something else for me; don’t lose the use of your legs. I won’t have to drag you to the shower now, hm?”</p><p>A weak shake of Eren’s head satisfied Levi for the moment. “Now, go. I’ll join you soon.” And on these words, Levi turned his back to the brunette, bending down to gather his clothes on the floor, seemingly done with the conversation if they could even call it that. The brunette was still dumbfounded but didn’t let that make him freeze like before or he would get told off again so, instead, he did as he was asked, picking up his clothes on the way and scrambling to Levi’s private bathroom. It was the first time he was spending so much time in the Captain’s private quarters and he had to admit that he liked the privacy. Oh yeah, what did he mean when he said he would join him soon?<br/>
“Oi, Eren.” A voice called behind him. “You planning on turning on the shower now or tomorrow?” He was obviously annoyed.<br/>
“Ah-- Yes, right away heishou--!” Eren put his clothes in a little bundle on a corner of the room before he hurried to figure out how the Captain’s shower worked which, as it turns out, worked just like the one he was used to so he went ahead and turned the water on.<br/>
“Relax. I told you to call me Levi when we’re alone.”, he sighed right next to Eren’s ear, making the latter jolt because he never heard him coming this close, how did he miss it? The only explanation was that it was the Captain and suddenly it made sense. </p><p>Levi simply walked past the brunette, entirely naked and letting the water slowly soak him entirely. He tilted his head back and let the water slick his hair back naturally with closed eyes. He looked peaceful, relaxed. Eren doesn’t remember ever seeing him like that. He was discovering an entirely new Captain today and he felt… special, thinking that maybe no one else had the chance to discover that side of his. He was usually always on edge, always ready in case he needed to be and he understood why, especially in the world they lived.<br/>
“Eren.”<br/>
He found himself smiling and blushing like a boy who had a crush for the first time, he didn’t even notice that the Captain was naked and certainly didn’t hear him. That is until something hit his forehead, snapping him out of his thoughts and crashing back to reality as he let out a ‘argh!’ in surprise. </p><p>“Oi Eren! I expect you to answer when I call your name.”, Levi barked but Eren barely heard him, he was too focused on… something else than his words; his body. He didn’t have time to see it in all its glory earlier but now? He was savouring and almost devouring every part he would look at, edges and muscles he was discovering and making him see his superior under a brand new light, and that was far from being a bad thing. To him anyways.</p><p>“OI! Are you done staring or do you need another soap thrown at you to snap you out of it?! Now are you going to join me or not?!”</p><p>This time, Eren heard him loud and clear but visibly flushed once again when Levi suggested he join him in the shower. He was about to ask why but the Captain’s voice? He knew it was almost an order, there was no place for discussion. So, the brunette obliged and slowly, shyly, made his way inside the shower with Levi. He felt self-conscious now more than ever, not sure why he felt so embarrassed. He held one arm with the other and kept both of them close to himself, as if trying to hide his own body and forget looking at the Captain. He wasn’t sure how he should act especially after what just happened between the two of them.</p><p>“What are you trying to hide from me, Eren? What more do you think you can possibly hide from me? I was the one who pulled your clothes off you for fuck’s sake, do you not trust me that much?” Levi's voice, as blunt as ever, cut through him like the blades of the ODM gear would easily do in his human form. His superior was right; why was he acting so weird? He knew he should just drop his guard already, clean his filthy ass like the Captain would say and not make a big deal out of it but he couldn’t.</p><p>What if he wasn’t the first one Levi had sex with like that?<br/>
That was it. That was the breaking point. The simple thought of Levi just doing the same thing he just did to him had slipped into his mind and he stumbled backwards, losing his footing on the slippery wet floor before hitting his head on the wall behind him.<br/>
He didn’t even register it hurting, he simply let himself slide down on the wall until he was crouching down and felt small, so small. </p><p>Levi was soon crouching down in front of him, his brows furrowed in a way Eren hadn’t seen him do before. What was he feeling? Probably annoyed, as usual. He was nothing more than another person he was having sex with for his selfish desires. He saw his subordinate as nothing more than an entertainment.</p><p>“Eren you dumbass-- are you ok?”</p><p>-Flashback start-</p><p>“Calm down.”<br/>
“Levi-Heichou! I don’t know what…!”<br/>
“I said calm down… all of you.”<br/>
In front of him, standing at the ready with their blades out, stood the four members of Levi’s squad. Each and everyone of them were ready to act, ready to take him down…</p><p>-Flashback end-</p><p>But the Captain wasn’t.</p><p>In fact, he had been standing so close to Eren and hadn’t even drawn out his weapons, almost as if he didn’t feel the need to.<br/>
“Why…?”, he heard himself mutter faintly and Levi immediately let out an inquisitive ‘uh?’ in response, obviously wondering where did that come from as it definitely wasn’t replying to what he asked before. “Why do you seem so intent in protecting me… h-heichou..?”</p><p>The way Eren’s voice broke at the end was almost enough to bring Levi down on his knees, the stream of water hitting his bare back and down on his face almost as if he was shedding these tears he would always swallow and lock away deep in his heart. Before he knew it, the ravenette was, in fact, on his knees, a bit closer to his subordinate who instantly grabbed his arm and revealed his wide green orbs filled with tears and demanding answers.<br/>
“Why… Why didn’t you kill me when we first met?! Why… Why!? This… burden on my shoulders… I can’t bear it anymore, Levi-heichou..! Please! Make it stop--” </p><p>Levi’s body acted before he could order it to stay still, wrapping his arms around Eren’s body as if it was the only thing he knew how to do and locked him into a tight embrace, the brunette’s head coming to rest against the Captain’s chest. He let the younger male let it all out, his entire body being wrecked by sobs which broke Levi’s heart but all he could do was be there for him, he had no idea what else to do.<br/>
“M-Make it stop p-please… Y-You’re the only w-who can, h-heichou…”, he heard Eren croak out weakly, the ravenette frowning and his hold tightening as he held him, wishing his strong arms could also hold the entire weight that was placed on the Titan shifter’s shoulders after he was given the role of Humanity’s last hope.<br/>
The oldest knew what it felt like to have big things expected of him, it was a weight he also had to bear every time he would go outside the walls, the lives of the entire garrison placed in his hands.<br/>
He was Humanity’s strongest warrior and he didn’t remember one time since he was given that title where he didn’t blame himself for all the lives lost after an expedition. Somehow, thinking back to his own pain and the blood he had on his hands made him want to give more than just a shoulder to cry on, his heart pounding in his chest.</p><p>“Eren, listen to me. You don’t have to do this alone. That’s why you have people like Armin, Mikasa and your other friends. You can count on my squad, too.” It wasn’t enough, he knew it just by how the other choked on his tears and only seemed to sob harder. </p><p>Dammit.</p><p>“Shit.” A sharp inhale. “You can count on me, too. I’m here, ok? I got you. I’ll be here as long as you need me, as long as you want me to. Eren, I--” He hesitated just a bit, not too long, but he heard Eren’s breath itch in his throat, holding his breath and he knew this time he was listening and waiting on what his Captain would say next.</p><p>Don’t screw this up, Levi. </p><p>“--I don’t want to lose you. You might think the same can be said with the rest of my squad but with you it’s… different somehow. That’s why I was able to face up against even my comrades when they pointed their blades at you. Fuck, I don’t sound like myself at all don’t I? Even Hange noticed... “ He sighed deeply but didn’t let it stop him. Not this time. Eren needed to hear this from him. “The thing is, Eren, I don’t even know what it is but I know I’m only like this with you. Others see you as Humanity’s last hope but not me… You really want the truth? So listen close ‘cause I’m not going to say it twice. Only this one time.” He felt a weak nod against his chest and before he could proceed, he inhaled deeply. </p><p>“... You’re my last hope, Eren.”</p><p>He felt the brunette flinch at the words and Levi softly pushed him off him, revealing Eren’s red cheeks and puffy eyes but also the most shocked expression he’s seen on his face. And he felt a weak sad smile bloom on his lips.<br/>
“You’ve become this… thing I hold onto. You might as well be the reason I’m able to live on no matter how many lives are lost, no matter how much blood adds up on my hands from me not being able to protect the lives of every member of our branch. As long as you’re alive, as long as you’re with me… I feel like I can do this, I feel like this world is worth making efforts for. All these sacrifices, they’re not for nothing because you exist in this world.” He could feel the emotions catching up to him. He unlocked the door, after all. Next thing he knew, he punched Eren’s chest softly before burying his face in the latter’s shoulder, feeling strong arms support him like he’d done for him just before. And his voice was cracking and he was begging for the first time ever.<br/>
“So p-please… don’t give up. I’ll do anything… so… stay with me. Just a little longer… that’s all I’m asking…”<br/>
Clenching his jaws, Levi could feel the pressure on his teeth from how hard he was gritting them together. He must look miserable, pathetic right now. He couldn’t blame Eren if he just tossed him aside and left after that. The brunette knew him as the stoic soldier who could accomplish anything if he set his mind on it. Just like everyone else, he saw his Captain as Humanity’s strongest warrior and that meant he couldn’t cry.</p><p>He couldn’t show weakness.</p><p>But Levi was tired. He was so tired and exhausted. Fighting was hard, fighting was exhausting and most days, he would think that it would be so easy to just give up but each time he’d see Eren?<br/>
These thoughts would fade just the slightest bit and he would say to himself “Just one more time. One more day.” -- Before he knew it, he would see the brunette everyday, especially after he was assigned to his squad, and he would tell himself those words when he would catch a glimpse of those warm green eyes and, if he was lucky, that damn smile.</p><p>“... Okay, h-heichou… But in return, please don’t give up on me either…”</p><p>Ah, what was he thinking when he doubted him again? Levi knew he could trust him.</p><p>“... Never.”</p>
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